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Willie Silberstein, head of the Swedish Committee against Antisemitism writes:

The Anti-Semitic propaganda is based on the myths of Jewish ritual killings, worldwide Jewish conspiracy, Jewish control and manipulation of the media including German Nazism. Such lies have been disastrous to Jews. It is very distressing that Omar Mustafa has not expressed any regret for inviting guest speakers who have expressed openly and publicly their hatred towards Jews and has not expressed any reservations towards their clear declarations of Antisemitism.

On March 25th, the Dagens Nyheter newspaper reported that the Muslim Association had invited to the conference held in Stockholm on December 2010, guest speakers who have openly expressed Antisemitic views. Two main speakers were Salah Sultan who has been described by the conference program as a “wise and famous Muslim from Egypt” and the Egyptian Rajib Al-Sargani who was described as a “famous Muslim figure who focuses on Islam history.”

Salah Sultan had published on various occasions, some of the most dangerous Anti-Jewish myth creations in the world. On March 31st he appeared on the Hamas’s T.V. station Al-Akza and repeated the lie which has been told about Jews since the Middle Ages and which claims during the time of Passover, the Jews commit ritual killings of Christians and use their blood to bake the Matzah. “They do it every year,”claimed Sultan, “and the world must know of this.”

On January 29th 2009, Sultan appeared on T.V. station Al-Nas and insisted that there is an international Jewish conspiracy to control the world. He mentioned the infamous fake publishing from the time of the Russian Czar known as the Protocol of the Learned Elders of Zion and explained: “The Protocol is a Jewish attempt to rule and corrupt the entire world. While the world is occupied with needs and lusts, the Jews are free to execute their plan to take over the world.” Sultan had continued to quote the Hadit which is often used by Muslim extremists which claims that when judgment day comes, Muslims will fight Jews and kill them.

In an article published at www.islamhistory.com (the website’s address is registered in the convention’s program in the home website of the Muslim Association), on October 13th 2010, Rajib Al-Sargani insisted that “The Jews…control most of the world media.” He had spoken on other occasions about the myth and the Jew power of manipulation. In an article (published on the same web page on April 19th 2010) he pretended to explain the Christian world’s support of Israel. Al-Sargani spoke of the “Jewish influence on most of the world’s political and economical systems.”

The myth of Jews conducting ritual killings, worldwide conspiracy and Jewish control and manipulation of the media as well as their influence over political and economical systems are all central elements of the classic Nazi propaganda including German Nazism. These are the same lies which have led to disastrous outcomes for the Jewish people.

In a declaration on March 25th, the Swedish Coordination for Countering Antisemitism (SKMA) had expressed its concern in regards to the fact that the Muslim Association had invited guest speakers who have spoken against Jews and had expressed Antisemitic views. The SKMA had pointed out that this action gives legitimacy and normalization to Jew hatred. It added that this kind of action is counter to the Muslim Association’s declaration to “fight racism” and to “contribute to dialogue and exchange of views with other congregations and religions.” The SKMA had called the Muslim Association as well as to the other organizations which have cooperated with the Association in organizing the conference to clarify their stand in regards to Antisemitism and the Anti-Jewish views expressed by the guest speakers on several occasions.

Unfortunately this clarification never arrived. Instead, Omar Mustafa, chairman of the Muslim Association, chose to attack the DN journalist who was in charge of the Association’s invitations, as well as attacking MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) which had published Sultan’s appearances on T.V and on the Internet (Newsmill 30/3). (Mustafa Claims, among other things, the one cannot trust the MEMRI translations. It is a strange claim since DN had reported to have ordered translations to Sultan’s declarations. Mustafa ignores Al-Sarangi’s expressions which appear on the Islamstory.com webpage). Mustafa implies that the DN article on inviting guest speakers with Antisemitic opinions by the Muslim Association is an expression of Islam-phobia.

Instead of expressing regret on inviting those speakers and expressing reservation on Sultan’s and Al-Sarangi’s declarations, Mustafa enhances the un clarity about his position and that of the Muslim Association in regards to Antisemitism. He expresses himself in general terms saying that the fight against racism is “everyone’s responsibility” yet, at the same time he implies that anyone who has appealed the declarations made by the guest speakers is in fact attempting to “execute death penalty for Antisematisim to anyone who has ever expressed criticism towards Israel.

Mustafa responds later to the criticism by claiming that the Muslim Association “will continue to invite relevant and famous Muslim guest speakers”. Those this mean that Mustafa believes that there is no need to change positions and that under specific circumstances, people who encourage Jewish hatred will continue to be “relevant speakers” in the Muslim Association?

Finally, the Muslim association’s chairman attempts, still without referring to the significance of the declarations, to reject responsibility and to reduce that which has happened by pointing at “a quote which has been said by some person on the other side of the world, who was once invited to a conference in which that same person will be speaking about something totally different.” Does Mustafa believe that it is in fact fitting an anti-racism policy to invite and to praise and by doing so, to accept people who incite against Jews or other groups just as long as they don’t do so at a Muslim Association conference?

Our mistrust of Omar Mustafa’s position continues when he spoke highly of Necmettin Erkaban, Former prime minister of Turkey who has recently passed away. In a Muslim Association press announcement signed by Mustafa on February 28th 2011, it is written (among other things) that Erkaban was a “great example” and an “inspiration to all Muslim activists who want to be involved by different means in the society in which they live.